Oakton to host Oct. 19 health careers open house
High school students and others interested in health careers are invited to attend a free open house beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Oakton Community College's Margaret Burke Lee Science and Health Careers Center (Lee Center), 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines.
The open house will include breakout sessions with faculty and department chairs to discuss industry trends and how Oakton programs can prepare students for successful careers.
Attendees can learn more about basic nurse assistant training, health information technology, medical assistant, medical laboratory technology, nursing, pharmacy technician, phlebotomy and physical therapist assistant programs at Oakton.
"This is a perfect opportunity for the community to discover what Oakton has to offer in health careers," said Dean of the Science and Health Careers Division Ruth Williams.
"Oakton has a number of health career certificates that can prepare a student to work in a health career field within a year. While working, students can also continue to take classes at Oakton to earn a health careers associate degree to further their earning power."
According to the United States Department of Labor, health careers are among the fastest growing fields as more than 2.1 million new jobs will be added to these occupations by 2024 due to an aging population and the growing number of people who have access to health insurance.
In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to tour the Lee Center, the $40 million marquee project of Oakton's $68.5 million facilities master plan.
The 93,000-square foot building, named after Margaret B. Lee, Ph.D., the college's third president, opened its doors for the spring 2015 semester. Designed by Legat Architects and built by Turner Construction Company, the Lee Center also introduces a new breed of science educational spaces and celebrates the natural and artistic highlights of the Des Plaines campus.
The facility received kudos for its sustainability and architecture in recent publications, including the 2015 edition of "Sustainable Chicago" and the Sept. 2015 issue of "College Planning & Management."
A "best value college" with campuses in Des Plaines and Skokie, Oakton provides a quality education at an affordable price. Further, Oakton students receive a strong return on investment.
According to a 2014 report by the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies, a 25-year-old Oakton graduate can expect a total lifetime earnings gain of more than $724,000, a 56 percent increase over the total lifetime earnings of someone not completing a community college program.
Visit www.oakton.edu/healthcareers for more information about health career information sessions, or call (847) 635-1835 for information.